Suns center Drew Eubanks is declining his $2.65MM player option for 2024/25 to become an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Eubanks, 27, signed a one-plus-one (second-year player option) deal with Phoenix last summer, appearing in 75 games and averaging 5.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 0.8 BPG as the team’s primary backup center (15.6 MPG).
Most players who decline their options have an idea of potential interest from rival teams — that seems likely to be the case here too, though that’s just my speculation.
As Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports observes (via Twitter), Eubanks didn’t fit particularly well in his lone season with the Suns, so the decision for him to opt out could be mutually beneficial. Phoenix will be on the lookout for a backup center with Eubanks presumably switching teams.
A former undrafted free agent who played three years of college ball for Oregon State, Eubanks got his NBA start with the Spurs on a two-way deal back in ’18/19. He spent three-plus seasons with San Antonio before being traded and then released by Toronto. He caught on with the Blazers a couple weeks later, finishing the ’21/22 and ’22/23 seasons with Portland.
The 6’9″ big man holds career averages of 5.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 323 regular season games, including 71 starts (15.9 MPG). He has shot 60.6% from the field and 73.4% from the free throw line over the past six seasons.
The full list of 2024/25 player option decisions can be found here.
Suns are in the tax hell
Drew Eubanks is worth one year deal $5 million, IMO
Get that bag Drew U
Send Nurkic and Allen to Milwaukee for Lopez and Connaughton. Schematically, it works for both teams, although not sure if Milwaukee would be willing to take on the Nurkic contract for two seasons.
Good for him, I think he could get more than that